Pukekohe Travel Visit the Region

Last Saturday a tour group visited Oamaru and had a very immersive tour of some of our fabulous Geosites.

Pukekohe Travel is a Tour Group that specialises in providing Kiwis with tours that show off their own backyard. Their recent Train Excursion Tour brought 89 people to Oamaru for two nights. Saturday turned out to be a great day weather and the visitors boarded two coaches at 9 am outside the Brydone Hotel.

One coach went to the Oamaru Lookout where Jim Hopkins introduced them to a view of the town and harbour and prepared them for the morning’s activities – A Guided Walking Tour through the Victorian Precinct and then time exploring Whitestone City.

The second coach departed for Duntroon via the Waiareka Valley, with Mike Gray providing commentary along the route. This meant viewing several Geosites and hearing a heap of stories along the way. Then they learned about limestone and the marine fossils therein. After digging a fossil themselves they wandered through the village with a stop at the Blacksmith and a coffee before heading back to town.

After lunch, the two groups swapped their activities before heading home and a Happy Hour!

As Dean Leuschke, tour leader, says: “We do not tell them too much about the Oamaru visit in advance. We let them enjoy the day as it unfolds and then listen for comments that reinforce it as one of the memorable highlights of their tour.”

The response from the tour was positive and we hope these travellers can spread the good word about the Waitaki region and Geopark.